Lagos Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat says the collapsed luxury building in Ikoyi was shut down for months because it was unsafe and failed structural tests.

Mr. Hamzat was speaking with journalists at the site of the collapse where rescue operations remain ongoing with 20 bodies so far recovered and 9 people rescued.

Hamzat explained that the building was shut down for some months after some anomalies were noticed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).

On the ongoing rescue operation, the deputy governor said, it was unclear the number of people trapped under the collapsed building.

The Lagos State Government is setting up an independent panel to probe the collapse of the 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed that the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, an architect, be suspended from work immediately.

He assured that has said the government will surely find out what went wrong and punish those indicted.